Long Live
by Kasumi the Stargazer
Summary: The balcony scene, written from Rapunzel's POV. My take on what could have transpired between the time they got there and when Rapunzel's parents entered.


I told you guys I'd get this out! This is (supposed to be) the beginning of a series of moments in the lives of Rapunzel and Flynn. And yes, I'm calling him Flynn, because it's a much more epic name than Eugene. Taylor Swift's song "Long Live" - which, by the way, is a great song, and you should all go listen to it - is the inspiration for this one, and also the title (obviously).

This is my idea for what could have happened while they were standing on the balcony at the end of the movie, before Rapunzel's parents came out.

Anyway. If you review, Pascal gets cookies. And you don't want him to go cookie-less, do you?

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rapunzel, Flynn/Eugene, Tangled, Taylor Swift, "Long Live," or anything else I forgot to mention. Only the story itself is mine.

* * *

"_i said, 'remember this moment,' in the back of my mind,  
__the time we stood with our shaking hands, the crowds in stands went wild.  
__we were the kings and the queens, and they read off our names,  
__the night you danced like you knew our lives would never be the same.  
__you held your head like a hero on a history book page,  
__it was the end of a decade, but the start of an age._

_**long live**__ the walls we crashed through,  
__all the kingdom lights shined just for me and you,  
__and I was screaming, 'long live!' all the magic we made,  
__and bring on all the pretenders!  
__one day, __**we will be remembered**__."_

I stood on the balcony, looking out over my hopefully soon-to-be kingdom. My hands, clasped in front of me, were trembling.

Flynn took my right hand and interlaced his fingers through mine. I smiled. "You okay?" he asked.

I took a deep breath in. "Yeah," I said quietly. "I think so."

He looked at me for a long moment. "Are you scared?"

I turned quickly, my short hair swishing around my ears in the light breeze, and nodded. "Terrified. But also... also excited. I think."

He grinned at me. "You, terrified? Of what? You managed to conquer even death, so I'm afraid I don't see what you have to be scared of."

I laughed a little, then remembered exactly why I was so petrified. "I... don't have a –" My voice cracked. "— mother." My voice was so small, I was worried he hadn't heard me.

He had. Flynn grabbed my shoulders, turning me back toward him. "Yes, you do, Rapunzel." He pointed to the grand double doors just behind us. "Somewhere in there. And she's coming to get you, _right now_, probably as fast as her feet can carry her."

My lip trembled too, along with my hands. "Do... do you think she'll like me?" I sounded so pathetic, even to me.

At this, he smiled softly. "No."

I froze.

"No, she doesn't _like_ you," he continued. "She _loves_ you. She's loved you for the past eighteen years, since the day you were born, whether you were with her or not. She _loves_ you, Rapunzel. Actually, I'd be willing to bet she loves you more than anything else."

I held his eyes with mine for a long moment.

Suddenly, my arms were around his torso, holding him tightly to me, my tears – when had those come? – staining his already-bedraggled shirt.

I felt his arms slide around me, pulling me even closer against him. His face was buried in my hair.

"Oh, Rapunzel," he breathed.

His breath made my scalp tingle, along with my spine. One of his hands stayed on my back, while the other moved to my hair, stroking it comfortingly.

"I'm- so- _so_- sc- scared," I gasped between sobs. "I'm scared to trust anyone here – well, anyone aside from you – or to get close to anyone else because I can't take being betrayed again, like Moth- like Gothel did."

His arms tightened around me at the mention of that woman's name.

But I wasn't finished, and I _needed_ all of this to come out. "I'm scared that my real parents won't like me. I'm scared that they won't _recognize_ me and turn me away. I'm scared of ruling a kingdom someday, if they do recognize me. I'm scared that they won't waive your crimes and let you stay with me. I'm scared that I won't get to keep the only sure thing I have – _you_."

Flynn pulled back to look at me intensely. "You will _always_ have me. I don't care if they don't waive the crimes, if they banish me, if they _kill_ me-" I flinched and gasped. "-because you will _always_ have me, Rapunzel, I promise."

Fresh tears streamed down my cheeks. Flynn took my face in his hands, gently wiped away the drops on my cheeks, and he kissed me.

I closed my eyes.

Every moment flashed behind my eyelids.

_The first meeting._

_The time in the bar._

_The fear-filled moments in the tiny cave, the water slowly rising, the first time we thought we were going to die._

_The healing of his hand and the backstory-sharing._

_Our time in the kingdom._

_The gondola, the floating lights, the almost-first-kiss._

_The tower, the second time we thought we were going to die._

_His death._

_His life._

We broke apart and I was smiling, my tears gone. He smiled back, and silently laced our fingers together again.

We turned back toward the kingdom.

The doors creaked open.

My "happily ever after" began.

Turns out, Flynn was right.

I had nothing to be afraid of.

Especially when my mother – _my real mother_ – held out her hand and pulled him into the circle of all of our arms.

"_we will be remembered."_


End file.
